Ribbons and Lace
by scratch conlon
Summary: Lace has been a newsie almost her entire life. Being a girl amongst all these boys had never been a problem until Lace finds trouble and bigger trouble finds her. She needs the boys, her brother, and most of all her once dear friend, but they never see it
1. Prologue

**A/N: hey guys Scratch Conlon here. This is a story I wrote a very long time ago and decided to edit/ rewrite and upload! Enjoy!**

4 years pre strike-

Lace ran down the docks, her bare feet smacking the worn wood. She launched herself off the edge and into the frigid water of the East River. The cold hit her like a ton of bricks waking up the 13 year old. She swam down until her ears popped and then headed for the surface, the warm sun shining through the water to greet her face. She broke through and gasped for air wiping her eyes.

"Come on Snitch!" She yelled to her older brother. No reply was heard so Lace floated on her back wishing he would jump in and swim with her.

"What do you think you're doin' Lace?" She heard someone call. She swam to the edge of the low dock. Spot Conlon was leaning against a pole in the shade. Even at 14 he held a smug essence about himself.

"I'm playing poker…what does it look like I'm doing Spot?" she asked, her voice laced with sarcasm. In Lace's opinion Spot needed to calm down and loosen up. All he cared about was trying to become the leader of the Brooklyn newsies. He wanted all of New York as his kingdom and Lace just wanted to have fun with her friend. Spot smirked and turned to Luck. Luck was a large boy who believed in every word Spot said. Someday he would become his second in command.

"Hiya sweetheart!" Lace heard Racetrack Higgins call from behind her. She let go of the docks and started to turn around when all of a sudden she was falling and falling faster under water. She pushed at the hands binding her and came sputtering up for air. She swam towards the dock's ladder coughing and out of breath. She pulled herself out with a sigh and laid on the wet wood.

"I swear Race! One of these days you're gonna kill me and you'll be sorry!" She spit, closing her eyes. Racetrack climbed out after her, laughing loudly.

"It ain't nice for young ladies to swear Ribbons and Lace." He said using his pet name for her. Lace sat up and glared at him.

"Growing up with Newsboys teaches you some nasty habits."

**A/N: So that was the prologue! Very insightful I know! Reviews would be lovely; this is going to be a touching one I hope!**


	2. The King of Brooklyn

**A/N: Alright chapter one coming at you! If it isn't clear, Lace is around 16 for the rest of the story. Enjoy!**

2 Months after strike-

Lace Hampton jumped from the top of the rock wall. She hit the ground running. Soon the orphanage would realize she was gone. She pulled her cap down on her head and walked swiftly away, her hands stuffed in her pockets.

She stopped walking after about five minutes to observe her surroundings. As she walked on, now headed the correct way to the lodge house, she recalled what the headmistress of the orphanage had said:

"_A boys lodging house is no place for a lady!" _ _The rounded woman had shouted, pacing behind her desk. This was the fifth time she had caught Anna Hampton and she was not pleased. Lace had leaned back in a plush chair and crossed her arms. She snatched her hat back from one of the women and stuffed it on her mess of black hair. _

"_Anna! There is a reason the profession is called a 'news_boy_' you need to learn how to be a lady!" Mrs. Thompson said with a cry, sitting at her cluttered desk. Lace lifted an eyebrow._

"_Listen Elizabeth, may I call you Elizabeth? Good. Now listen, I'll stop being a newsie when you finally admit your husband isn't dead, in fact, you never married. Capiche? Now if you ladies will escort me to my room, I'll get out of your hair." Lace said with a smirk to rally all smirks._

Lace shook her head. It wasn't that she loved being a newsie. It was a hard life! However she was about seven years old when she had joined the Manhattan newsies and she didn't know any other way.

She thought of the ladies in the tight long dresses she saw daily. She didn't know how to be one of them! Nor did she want to be! She tugged her green vest closer around her small frame. She preferred her ragged clothes and worn boots.

Before Lace realized it she was at the lodge house. She kicked the door open with her foot to see Bumlets and Specs playing cards in the corner. The raised their eyes to the bang of the door but quickly smiled when they saw it was Lace.

"Hey guys." She said relived that she had made it back before the boys went to sell the afternoon edition.

"Where you been Lace? Didn't see you on your corner this morning." Bumlets asked, looking at his hand of cards.

"Yeah! Normally you can hear you shouting the headline from a mile away!" Said Specs with a laugh.

"I've been out." Lace mumbled while climbing the stairs two at a time, she wanted to wash up and maybe find something to eat before she went out to sell.

The bunk room was almost completely deserted as most of the boys went to Tibby's for lunch, their cheap food and tolerance for noise was a big draw to the newsies. Lace ran into the wash room discarding her hat and vest along the way. She grabbed a broken comb and pulled the half that was left through her ratty hair.

"Hiya Lace." She jumped at the voice, forgetting any one else was around, she was still thinking about the orphanage. Kid Blink strolled slowly over to her. His sandy hair was in need of trimming.

"How ya been Blink?" she asked, splashing the cool water on her face. He shrugged.

"Been okay I suppose." Lace looked at him sideways. He was looking out the wash room windows.

"What's on your mind?" She asked knowing something was a bit amiss. Blink glanced at her.

"Nothing really, was just thinking about when we was little. When we used to actually hang out in Brooklyn. When we were on better terms with them. I mean, we used to have a blast swimmin' and playin' around all day when selling wasn't so imperative." This was quite a lot for Blink to say so Lace knew he had been thinking hard about it.

"I miss it too Blink. I miss Brooklyn." By 'Brooklyn' Lace had really meant Spot Conlon. Blink knew it too. More than anything, Lace missed it when Spot had been known as Alex. Before he had ever left Manhattan. Lace leaned against the wash basin.

"Remember when we were little and you'd fall asleep down at the docks after swimmin' and Spot would carry you all the way back to the Brooklyn lodge house?" Blink asked laughing. Lace glared at him.

"That's how I ended up there? I always wondered…" Lace said turning towards Blink.

"He was always a better brother to you then Snitch was." He laughed. Lace's eyes grew hard but her heart wasn't in her rebuttal.

"Snitch cares. He just believes in letting me do as I please." She said with a sigh. She turned to go then.

"Yeah, that and his little sister acts older than he does." Blink said under his breath. Lace grabbed her hat and vest and tore off down towards the distribution center, she would have to concentrate on selling. God knows how mad the orphanage was. Lace had never gone quietly.

0oo0

Lace sold her very last paper as the bottom of the sun hit the top of the tallest building on Newspaper Row. Then, she ran. She ran as fast as she could towards the Brooklyn Bridge. She needed to make amends with Brooklyn on behalf of Manhattan. They hadn't been on borrowing terms since right after the strike when some of Spot's newsies had decided to come to Manhattan claiming they would be better off because of Manhattans luck in the strike. Of course it was a ludicrous reason to be mad at each other, but boys will be boys!

She ran across the Brooklyn Bridge all the while getting glares as she accidentally ran into people. She saw a few of Brooklyn's birdies walking along the bridge trying to be discreet. They had spotted Lace, knew she was from Manhattan and had disappeared. Lace ran even harder.

She skidded down the docks, and not seeing any of the birdies, slowed to a walk, content she would arrive first. She turned down the last dock and made her way to the end where she saw Spot Conlon high on a stack of crates, glaring down at her.

"What do you want, Lace?" He spat, climbing down, a devils glare on his eyes. A few of his boys were scattered around the dock. Lace shrugged.

"I want Brooklyn to be on borrowing terms with 'Hattan again!" She said a smirk oh her lips, one she had learned from the best. Spot lifted an eyebrow.

"That's a problem, now isn't it?" He asked, stepping closer.

"No Spot it shouldn't be. The boys you lost to us were drifters anyway; it was a matter of time before they moved on. You should be glad to be rid of them." She said, her speech already planned out. She, however, was not prepared for what came next. Spot looked at her a minute, his eyes, hard diamonds. Then, he smirked.

"The only way were gettin' on borrowing terms is if you give us a newsie. We want _you_." He said, his eyes betraying his mask, he knew he had cornered her. Lace stuttered, her speech flying out of her head and her brain shutting down.

"No!" Lace shouted. It had been a knee jerk reaction, which is exactly what Spot wanted. Her guard had been shattered.

"And why not Lace? None of the boys would care." He said false sweetness in his voice. Lace was regaining her nerve and she was mad.

"I'm not going to be one of your little girls that you bring to the lodge house all the time! I'm not street scum like they are!" She shouted at him, angry he would treat her like those girls in the short skirts he'd bring to the lodge house. Spot blinked. That isn't what he had meant but he was growing angry as well.

"Come on Lace! It's not like you'd be missed! They don't care about you! Especially not Snitch! In fact, he has never cared about you. You know what Lace, why haven't you left yet huh? Why haven't you let the damn orphanage snatch you up yet? You'd be better off there then being a newsie. Why don't Manhattan give us Racetrack instead, at least he's liked." Spot finished with a growl. He had dug deep into her and he knew it. That would teach her to yell at The King of Brooklyn.

All the while Lace's heart and nerve had been crumbling. Spot Conlon had been her friend at one point. And all she could reply with before running down the docks was:

"I swear Spot Conlon!" Then she dashed before he could see a single tear. It's not that she was surprised Spot had yelled at her. She had been expecting that. But what he had said was something he knew was true. The newsies had never really cared for her. When they were younger, she was just 'Snitch's little sister.' And now her only friends there was Blink and Racetrack. But even Racetrack had been too busy to notice her the last couple of years.

Maybe it was the fact that she was growing up that made everything seem so different. It's not like she expected to be treated as a lady, but she wouldn't mind if the boys noticed her every once in a while. She had reached the Manhattan lodge house and dried the last tear from her eye. She stomped through the lobby, barely noticing Kloppman had said good evening to her, and bounded up the stairs.

Lace opened the door to the bunk room, aggravated to see so many people. She couldn't deal with them today, not after Spot's words.

"Hey lil' sis!" Snitch cried poking her in the stomach. She pushed him away quickly.

"Get off me, Victor." She had spat, not realizing the use of his real name. She pushed her way through the other newsies to the storage closet that they used for meetings. She slammed the door closed loudly, which caused the chatter outside to stop momentarily and blocked the door with a chair. She then sat on a bench in the back, not bothering to light a candle. Lace sat and silent tears rolled down her cheeks. Right now, she wasn't crying because of the boys outside, and she wasn't crying because of what Spot said. She was crying for him.

_ "Hey Alex?" an eight year old Lace had asked Spot._

_ "What's the matter Anna?" Young Spot asked, worried about his friend._

_ "Are there such things as happy endings?" Lace asked, tears filling her eyes. Her baby sister had just passed away and it looked like her mother would be quick to follow._

_ "Come 'ere Anna." Spot said his arms outstretched. _

_ "Of course there are. You'll have a happy ending Anna, I know it." He comforted her, patting her back and wiping away a tear._

_ "What about you Alex? I want you to have a happy ending!" She cried, thinking it unfair one person can have one while another can't. _

_ "If I stick with you, I just might get myself one." He sighed pulling away from Lace as Snitch walked in the room._

**A/N: Well there we have chapter one! Tell me what you think about the flashbacks. I kinda like 'em! It gives insight into the background.**

**Please continue to review! It helps me build a story and strong characters! Thanks a million.**

**-Scratch**


	3. Manhattan in Hot Water

**A/N: Thank you for the reviews! They mean so much to me! I intend this to be a very full chapter so stick with me. Important part towards the end so read carefully! Enjoy chapter two!**

A soft knocking shook Lace from her sleep. Her head hurt and her body ached. That's what she got for sleeping on the floor in the storage/meeting room.

"Come on out sweet heart, you've been in there all night." A voice she recognized as Racetrack's whispered. He knocked again, growing a bit worried and impatient.

"Ribbons and Lace? You need to sell today too, ya know?" he called, knocking again. Lace sighed. The familiar pet name made her heart hurt. He hadn't called her that in years. She stiffly got up and moved to the door, knocking the chair aside. Racetrack pushed open the door and looked at her red eyes.

"What happened?" He asked, knowing Lace doesn't normally act like this. Lace was happy he asked what was wrong. Maybe she could prove Spot wrong, maybe the newsies really did car for her. She shook her head.

"Brooklyn happened." She sighed. Race knitted his eyebrows.

"What's happened to Brooklyn?" He asked urgently, thinking thy might have gotten themselves in trouble. Lace sighed, it's possible Race cared more about Brooklyn then her.

"Brooklyn happened to me!" She said pushing past him. She was headed for the washroom when the door banged open. Jack walked in the bunk room with a fire in his eyes. He normally didn't get very angry so something was obviously amiss.

"Lace!" He shouted turning towards her. She took a step back, surprised his anger was directed towards her. Jack slowly walked over to her, and she instantly knew this had to do with Spot.

"What the Hell did you do? What would compel you to yell at Spot Conlon? " He shouted backing her into a corner. She straightened up, ready to defend herself, but she never got the chance.

"You knew us and Brooklyn weren't getting along! Why would you go to Brooklyn and make it worse? Spot was so mad, he practically declared war on us! What did you even say to him? Did you think he was still your friend? Well he's not! He's The King of Brooklyn and now because of you, our boys are in hot water with him. I have half the mind to kick you out of Manhattan!" He finished pushing her shoulder. She hit the wall with a slight thump and glared at Jack with as much venom as he had for her.

She didn't dare take her eyes off of him, mad he wouldn't even listen to her. However, she saw Blink and Race scoot closer when he had pushed her. But it was Mush who spoke.

"Jack, come on, I mean, she probably didn't do it on purpose." He said weakly. Lace raised an eyebrow at Jack after Mush was finished. He shook his head.

"Lace, you're too much of a problem to keep around. You have to leave Manhattan. You have 'til noon to leave." He spat turning away from her. She looked to Snitch nervously; She'd never been without her brother, no matter how much he ignored her.

"I can't leave!" She shouted as Jack walked away. He turned back to look at her.

"I'm the leader. I made the decision. You have to do as I say." He said. Before he could take another step Race went to stand next to her.

"Jacky-Boy, I'm your second in command, I get a say in stuff too. And I say: She ain't leaving! She has nowhere else to go. And so she made Brooklyn mad once, what else has she done?" He asked crossing his arms. Blink came to stand on the other side of Lace, putting a protective arm around her. She suppressed a smile.

"Having a girl around this place is too much of a problem. Besides, Racetrack, I'm the leader. It's my final decision." He said, sure Racetrack wouldn't say against him. Lace stepped forward.

"You've never been a leader to me Jack. You've never cared about me like you care for the others. I could have disappeared for days and you never would have blinked an eye. You may be the leader of the Manhattan newsboys, but this newsgirl hasn't had a leader since you took over when Boomer left. Since you've never cared about me before, I don't see why I should have to listen to you now!" She said, her speech fueled by the nods and silent agreements she was getting around the room.

Jack shook his head again and crossed his arms, though he did look nervous.

"It doesn't work that way Lace. You can't just go against my orders." He sighed looking around at all the newsboys. Skittery stepped up then.

"Jack, I think the success of the strike inflated your ego. When I say we don't want a leader who doesn't take a vote, I think I speak for everyone." He said motioning to the nodding boys around the room. Bumlets called out then:

"Let's take it to a vote then! All in favor of Lace leaving the lodge house?" He asked, no one except Jack raised their hands. Lace knew they weren't only defending Lace, but their own continued freedoms as well, who knew when Jack would turn on one of them?

"And all in favor of Lave continuing her stay in Manhattan?" he asked loudly, every hand was raised in the lodge house expect for Jacks and Lace's. (Who felt it was tacky to vote for herself) There was a loud cry echoing around the room when it was announced Lace was able to stay. Jack pushed through the doors and not noticed for the rest of the day.

Lace turned to Racetrack and Blink who still stood by her sides. She hugged Racetrack close first then Blink.

"Thank you. Thank you so much." She said hugging them again. Racetrack laughed.

"Don't thank us, thank Skittery and Bumlets. He said scratching the back of his neck. Lace looked at both the boys once again and happily ran to Skittery. She shook his hand telling him that she owed him big time then did the same to both Bumlets and Mush, who had been the first to stick up for her. However, Snitch, was nowhere to be seen.

Everyone had already missed the morning edition so most of the boys hung around and played cards or dice. Lace sat talking with Racetrack, explaining what had really happened with Spot yesterday.

"He just hit a nerve." She said summing the story up after relaying his speech. Racetrack sighed and shook his head, his eyes downcast.

"He doesn't have the right to treat people that way." He said quietly, flipping through a deck of cards. Lace took it from him and began to shuffle.

"But, hey. Whose gonna stop him from doing what he wants?" She asked as the door banged open for the second time today. Blink could be seen throwing his head back and groaning as in walked Spot Conlon with Luck O'Reily on his heels. Spot looked around a little, his eyes locking on Lace. She groaned inwardly, she didn't want all the negative attention!

"I see you're still here." He said strolling over to her a grimace in his lips. Luck smiled sheepishly behind him. Lace stood to meet him nodding a quick hello to Luck.

"Yes Spot, Not even the big bad Alexander Conlon could kick me out of Manhattan." She said sweetly. Spot whipped his gold tipped cane from his suspenders, it flying dangerously close to her face.

"I have half the mind to make you dust in the ground." He said coming almost nose to nose with Lace.

"Try me." She whispered, knowing Spot might have the heart to do it, but Alex wouldn't. It was war. Lace didn't know why Spot was being so cruel. Most of the time he just ignored her but something changed. He was being down-right nasty. All of a sudden Spot pulled her close to him leaning next to her ear.

"I hope Joseph finds you and makes good on his promise." He whispered then shoved her away, turning and storming out the doors. She fell to the ground with an 'oomph!' not caring about the pain in her backside. She hated Spot's threat but didn't know just how soon that threat would come. She barely noticed Racetrack and Blink pulling her to her feet. She only stared out the doors. She was reminded of a fear she hadn't known for years, a fear that she wouldn't have a choice about the rest of her life.

**A/N: Well, that wasn't where this chapter was originally headed, but it turned out nice.**

**I'll try to put up a chapter both days on the weekend and maybe one or two during the week. Thanks again for the reviews! Keep 'em coming! They make for a happy, writing –daily Scratch Conlon! **

**Please, tell me what you think about plot/ characters/ everything.**

**ThanksAMillion -Scratch**


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